How do you get a superstar to john cena level

[dbp]

It's crazy how now we're talking about John Cena level, as if that's the gold standard. A guy who was booed by the large sections of the audience for the majority of his career. A guy who sold merch and was a box office success, but never really hit the upper echelon levels of critical acclaim like the megastars before him.

Damn the business fell

 

[The Great One]

People really gotta stop saying they pushed Cena down our throat. Cena got over on his own.

Then 2 years after that they pushed him down our throat.

 

[Zebruh]

It's crazy how now we're talking about John Cena level, as if that's the gold standard. A guy who was booed by the large sections of the audience for the majority of his career. A guy who sold merch and was a box office success, but never really hit the upper echelon levels of critical acclaim like the megastars before him.

Damn the business fell

History will treat Cena well tho

 

[The Intergalactic Koala]

• Have them start out with the shyttiest gimmick (Prototype)
• Let them be themselves organically (Cena rapping and jobbing)
• Turn them heel and let them go over with the smarks (heel rap mid carding Cena)
• Let them become a midcarding champ (Cena winning the US title)
• Have a small run with the belt as a campaign for the main event title reign (Cena title chase)
• Have them win and flip the script on what made them great (Cena becoming face during the main title reign)
• Have both sides of the coin (fans hate him or like him)
• Prove the crowd wrong (Cena is missed and ratings are in the shytter)

Bottom line, follow this blueprint=superstar. It worked for Reigns like him or despise him.

 

[XannyWarbucks]

Roman is a star.. the crowd turning on him threw things off. Seth could be that guy if they strapped the rocket on him and give him the ball to run with. I dont think dean got his full potential yet

No, he wasn't. They went overboard with bringing people back because Roman wasn't a star. They gave him damn-near everything and he still wasn't accepted by the crowd. He finally beat Cena in merch after Cena more-or-less retired and stopped shilling shyt. He wasn't over.

Cena, was a star even though people turned on him pretty quickly into his big run. It became his character. Roman, never had a character other than, "Hey, remember the Shield."
Seth has a WOAT voice. Dude sounds like a whiny teen. And he always came off as trying too hard to be an Omega/Tana hybrid without realizing the nuances and little things that both those guys do. But I agree, out of the three he could've been the most over if they gave him that preteen Jeff Hardy demo.
Dean was never going to work in scripted WWE. His biggest strength was promos and once Shield disbanded they made him, "LOL HE's WACKY AND CRAZY" instead of someone who was unhinged. In CZW he was the bum that you would cross the other street to get away from because he might try some shyt. Take that, and then his wrestling... I mean, for years Cena had the shyttiest punches until I saw Dean's "flurries".

Overall, It was smart of them to try to push three guys (or one guy, while the other guys get screen time), but in hindsight, it didn't work as effectively as it should've. These guys were the main character of WWE for 4 years, they should be above everyone on the roster and the fact is, they all feel like just another person on the roster.

Cena, Austin, Rock never felt like that. They always felt above the roster and as their own men. I thought that the last good thing WWE did was book Joe vs Brock because it was the last time that people thought something felt real. Joe knows how to do that UFC-style promo and get the best of Brock. Joe came off as a dude that didn't give a shyt about petty shyt and was all about the smoke from anyone on the roster, it felt genuine. Shield always felt like we were being forced into liking them, which is why Roman didn't get as over as he should've.

 

[Coco Brown]

True. Kurt could have easily gone to mma in his prime if the ufc was what it is today.

Batista's doing good in Hollywood. Y2j and cody are proving you could do it without the machine, miz could easily make in hollywood. Punk proved it to

Batista's doing well despite the WWE though. Never forget that when he asked them for the same type of opportunities Cena was getting (re: movies and such) they told him no. They didn't see it for him. So he went out there and he got on his grind and he did it for himself.

The bottom line is that no matter how over someone gets or how much crossover appeal they have, until the WWE changes its philosophy that the WWE brand is the biggest superstar on the roster and everyone has to job to it, no one else is gonna break out in the way that Rock, Cena, Stone Cold, ect have. In fact, I'd argue that when someone shows the potential to do so, they intentionally cool them off so that they can't. Unless you're a Ronda or Brock and come in with your own mainstream brand already established, you're kind of out of luck.

 

[XannyWarbucks]

It's crazy how now we're talking about John Cena level, as if that's the gold standard. A guy who was booed by the large sections of the audience for the majority of his career. A guy who sold merch and was a box office success, but never really hit the upper echelon levels of critical acclaim like the megastars before him.

Damn the business fell

He was, but it's kind of like why Bret & Michaels get credit. The business dropped but it didn't drop as bad as it would've if they weren't in the forefront. Cena also sold merch which puts him above those guys. I also think that over time the people that booed him the respect that dude had no-life outside of WWE and did everything he could to promote the company.

 

[Mikael Blowpiff]

very carefully

 

[Dreamzeedream]

It's crazy how now we're talking about John Cena level, as if that's the gold standard. A guy who was booed by the large sections of the audience for the majority of his career. A guy who sold merch and was a box office success, but never really hit the upper echelon levels of critical acclaim like the megastars before him.

Damn the business fell

Nah um not saying cena is the gold standard but to be honest he is the last truly big star. If you look back over the last 30 years its. Stonecold,rock then.Cena.
Night in night out. He has the biggest reactions, he drew the most emotions from the crowd,during his last run it was times he brung life back into the crowd. If he returned today, those facts will remain the same. He's still top 5 on the mic in the company.I feel like yall dont give him enough credit

 

[Dreamzeedream]

No, he wasn't. They went overboard with bringing people back because Roman wasn't a star. They gave him damn-near everything and he still wasn't accepted by the crowd. He finally beat Cena in merch after Cena more-or-less retired and stopped shilling shyt. He wasn't over.

Cena, was a star even though people turned on him pretty quickly into his big run. It became his character. Roman, never had a character other than, "Hey, remember the Shield."
Seth has a WOAT voice. Dude sounds like a whiny teen. And he always came off as trying too hard to be an Omega/Tana hybrid without realizing the nuances and little things that both those guys do. But I agree, out of the three he could've been the most over if they gave him that preteen Jeff Hardy demo.
Dean was never going to work in scripted WWE. His biggest strength was promos and once Shield disbanded they made him, "LOL HE's WACKY AND CRAZY" instead of someone who was unhinged. In CZW he was the bum that you would cross the other street to get away from because he might try some shyt. Take that, and then his wrestling... I mean, for years Cena had the shyttiest punches until I saw Dean's "flurries".

Overall, It was smart of them to try to push three guys (or one guy, while the other guys get screen time), but in hindsight, it didn't work as effectively as it should've. These guys were the main character of WWE for 4 years, they should be above everyone on the roster and the fact is, they all feel like just another person on the roster.

Cena, Austin, Rock never felt like that. They always felt above the roster and as their own men. I thought that the last good thing WWE did was book Joe vs Brock because it was the last time that people thought something felt real. Joe knows how to do that UFC-style promo and get the best of Brock. Joe came off as a dude that didn't give a shyt about petty shyt and was all about the smoke from anyone on the roster, it felt genuine. Shield always felt like we were being forced into liking them, which is why Roman didn't get as over as he should've.

That's the thing tho. What do we consider over now a days? A person that draws a reaction or a person that gets cheered?
Roman gets the biggest reactions heel or face. You gotta have your top guy in big match up's. So you have to bring people back because they buried most of the roster. I agree with everything else u said tho. Seth or AJ is probably the most over babyface's in the company tho



EDIT:

Joe should have been pushed hard after that lesnar feud. The crowd was behind him and I thought he had a legit chance to beat brock

 

[stro]

History will treat Cena well tho

History will treat Roman well too

 

[Bryan Danielson]

EC3 bout to come a save the E.

Is he the best wrestler? No, but neither was Cena or Reigns.....

But atleast EC3 doesn’t suck in the ring and has never really had a bad terrible match.

He got character
He can cut a promo
He can play and control the crowd
He can be vicious and be funny

He got that physical body that Vince will go about

Martha

 

[stro]

EC3 bout to come a save the E.

Is he the best wrestler? No, but neither was Cena or Reigns.....

But atleast EC3 doesn’t suck in the ring and has never really had a bad terrible match.

He got character
He can cut a promo
He can play and control the crowd
He can be vicious and be funny

He got that physical body that Vince will go about

Martha

You've actually seen EC3 perform, right?

 

[Bryan Danielson]

You've actually seen EC3 perform, right?

Martha

 

[dbp]

History will treat Cena well tho

Yeah, it will. And he's talented, more than he's able to showcase.

But for a guy on top, he *rarely* had big pops where everyone was behind him. Where he was truly a babyface. After the first few years, anyway.

Rock, Austin, Hogan all have plenty of that. Even HBK, Taker, Bret did.

He's the 4th biggest ever but it'll always be a mark against him.